Red: The Color Of Desire
by Kitkatlaugh
Summary: When eighteen year old Adeline Montpercy is swept into the life that her brother leads and grandfather despises, her world is changed for good. Will she stay with Les Amis or return home to the simple life she is familiar with? What about if she falls in love while she's at it?
1. The Outside World

Chapter One

Adeline Montpercy, known as "Addie" to everyone except for her grandfather, anxiously tumbled through the sea of peasants swarming the slums of Paris. Her rather nice pale blue frock jerked around her as the fabric was smudged and nearly torn in the stampede of people. She really shouldn't have been out of the house, seeing that neither her grandfather, nor her older brother Marius wanted her out in the street. "An enclosed area filled with thieves, convicts, beggars, and pimps is no place for an eighteen year old woman," they said. Addie disagreed. She could take care of herself and she was sick of living a proper, boring, bourgeois life. Marius was only four years older than her, and he had been able to go out whenever he wished! Their grandfather had given him no trouble until he started rallying the people and protesting on the streets.

Though their grandfather had disowned Marius when he started acting on his thoughts about this revolution "nonsense", Addie had been allowed to stay. She had played no part in her brother's actions and what he had done hadn't changed the fact that she was a well-behaved young woman. Still, not having Marius around the house to constantly be annoying and over-protective was a bit lonely. She barely even saw her brother anymore, since she barely ever got out. Adeline wanted her freedom. There was another life waiting for her out there, and she just wanted to see it! She wanted to feel the rain on her skin and have the wind rustle through her long brown hair. She wanted to see the birds, their colorful feathers and magnificent wings as they took flight, not only hear them from inside her bedroom window. Addie wanted to meet new people and do something great

Something great had started with sneaking out of the house. Since then, it hadn't been all that fantastic. The town was filthy, and it turned out people weren't too nice either. The push and shove of the crowd was constant, forcing everyone in the same direction and pushing Addie farther and farther away from the imprisonment she called her home. A woman glared at Addie as the two collided, getting up and leaving with quite a rude remark. Okay, maybe this had been a worse idea than she had thought. Although Addie was eighteen years old, she was only five feet tall, meaning she couldn't see and therefore didn't have the faintest idea of where she was. This also meant that she was hard to see, causing her to crash into people and things, fallingquite often. Where was she? The shops were run down, and the air smelled revolting. She recognized no one even remotely, which was somewhat expected since she really knew no one except for the street vendors near her home and her grandfather's friends and acquaintances.

Addie wanted to go home. She wanted to have listened to her brother and grandfather. Surely this wasn't all the outside world had to offer though; surely there was something more, something better! Her question was answered with a harsh push, sending her backward and through the crowd into an open space. Thank god for that! She had been beginning to get claustrophobic!

Her smile faltered when she saw what she had been pushed by. Slowly approaching her was a group of three men, each disgusting in his own unique way. The one whom Addie assumed was the leader due to dominant posture and position had the most unsettling qualities. His yellow teeth glinted and he broke into a smirk, as if he could smell the fear coming off of the girl. She tripped backward further, roughly falling against a chair that she swiftly pushed in between herself and her assailants. They wore an expression that the woman wasn't at all familiar with. It was unsettling, a mix of victory, hunger, and malicious intent. Realizing the danger that she was in, Addie picked up another chair from behind her, threw it at the men, and took off in a sprint in the other direction.

Loud cursing was heard from behind her as the chair collided with the leader, knocking him to his knees. He jumped up with remarkable speed and only grinned at his two friends. They had been in this exact situation, if not an extremely similar one, enough times before to know what to do next. Two of them followed the girl's trail while the other made his way around the maze of small buildings to block their victim's path, givingthe girl no where to run to.

Addie was running as fast as her tiny legs could carry her, her chocolate eyes deep with fear and regret. The heels of her shoes clicked loudly against the pavement while she ran. She could hear the men behind her, but didn't dare to turn around and check how close they were. Her assumption of all three of them following behind her was proved wrong when the third turned the corner in front of her, blocking her escape and confining her to this narrow alley. Addie let out a gasp and turned around to see the other two right on her tail. She was trapped. Oh, how she should have stayed home!

One of the men roughly shoved her to the ground, causing her to skin her hands as she tried to break her fall. She whimpered loudly as a boot collided with her stomach. She curled into a ball, desperately trying to protect herself from the blows that were constantly tormenting her back. All she could feel was pain and despair, her skin visibly bruising and her mind too traumatized to notice. Just as the last ounce of hope was fleeing her mind, she heard a kinder voice from somewhere in the shadows.

"Leave the girl alone," it spoke threateningly.

Addie didn't know whether to be scared or thankful, but she decided on relieved. The men above her had paused their abuse to examine the possible threat, giving Addie a moment to break into a fit of sobs and coughs while she tried to catch her breath. A man who looked to be in his early-to-mid twenties stepped into the light of day. His white-blonde hair and bright green eyes stood out from the overused brown suit that he wore, and he looked generally gentle. The tone that his voice held at the time said otherwise.

The leader of the men rolled his eyes, sloppily pushing up the rags that you might have called sleeves at some point in the past. He approached the younger boy with fists raised, ready to give him a beating far worse than Addie's until the boy pulled a gun out of his jacket. The woman's eyes widened at the sight and she attempted to drag her wounded body farther from the commotion, only to be stopped by a shoe digging into her back as one of the men nearly stood on her. A sharp pain coursed through her back and arm, causing her to cry out weakly. She couldn't move her left arm, it hurt too much. It was by far the most pain she had experienced throughout her life, and she wondered if she had broken something. Her pain came in pulses, a concoction of knives and mallets assaulting her joint.

The telltale click of a gun being cocked caused the pressure on her shoulder to be removed. A tear fell down the side of her dirt covered cheek, unnoticed as her face was still protectively huddled between her hands and knees.

"Get lost!" the young man with the gun shouted.

Footsteps echoed as the men escaped down the other side of the alley, not bothering to turn back and only cursing loudly in reply.

Addie didn't look up, a mix of pain, fear, and shock preventing her from uncurling her limbs. The kinder man put his gun back inside his jacket chuckling lightly before kneeling next to the crumpled figure of the girl.

"They're gone, are you alright?" he asked, concern evident in his speech.

Addie slowly and hesitantly removed her head from her position of safety, finding comfort in the eyes of the man who had possibly saved her life. She painfully shook her head no to his question before answering.

"I can't thank you enough, monsieur. Truthfully, I am in your debt, however I'm still afraid I may be seriously injured. I can't move one of my arms and the pain isn't like anything I've experienced before now. "

The blonde man frowned and carefully scooped Addie up into his arms, trying to ignore how she winced. She buried her head in his shoulder as he took off further throughout the maze of the city. Maybe everyone in the outside world wasn't that bad after all..


	2. Faces in the Crowd

Chapter Two

Adeline could barely keep her eyes open as the blonde man effortlessly carried throughout the alleys. Now that she had some time to think about it, this man could easily be some serial killer that was going to slit her throat as soon as they got far enough away from civilization. For some reason she doubted that, but that may have been the naïve and innocent part of her sneaking through. But still, who was this man?

"Do you have a name?" she asked him groggily.

He paused in his steps to smile down at her with one eyebrow raised.

"Of course I do, why wouldn't I have a name? It's Courfeyrac if you were wondering."

She smiled back at him, her laugh turning into a grimace as she was reminded of her pain. Hey, at least he had a sense of humor. How bad could he really be?

"Addie," she replied.

Of course, she could have lied and told him her name was something completely different, but she had no reason to do something like that. The so called Courfeyrac seemed friendly enough, plus he had saved her from her probable death. The rest of the walk was quiet, Addie listening to the far off bustle of the street and Courfeyrac challenged with the task of finding his way to wherever he was going and making sure the woman in his arms still was alright simultaneously.

The young man sighed with content as he finally reached his destination. It was a small clearing, appearing to be an abandoned inn or something of the like. There was a broken stone fountain in the middle of a square clearing that about eight or more men were sitting and conversing around. At a first glance she didn't recognize any of them, but they all looked inviting. A few glanced toward the injured girl as Courfeyrac carried Addie forward, setting her down on a cool stone bench. The cold against her back immediately made her noticeably wince, and her blonde rescuer left for a moment to explain the situation to his colleagues.

"I found her getting beaten in an alley by some men. She seems to be quite injured, but I'm not an expert in that area," he stated, knowingly glancing at another of the men. "Judging from her looks, she's not from around here and she is obviously completely clueless when it comes to life out here in the slums. I was hoping Joly could take a look at her and we could get her back to her home, wherever that may be."

The red-haired medical student approached the broken form of the woman after sincerely smiling at Courfeyrac in reply to his suggestion. Still a bit dazed, Addie didn't completely notice when the ginger approached her. He snapped in front of her a few times before beginning to speak.

"Mademoiselle? Can you hear me?" he asked patiently.

The snaps did their job in bringing the woman back to reality as her heavy eyelids lifted and she smiled lightly, nodding at the new man. Her response reassured him that nothing was too wrong, at least neurologically, and he went about introducing himself.

"My name is Joly and I'm a medical student. Courfeyrac here has asked me to take a look at you and make sure you're alright. What hurts?"

Well, pretty much everything hurt. She wasn't going to go about whining to this nice man though, so she focused on what hurt the most, her shoulder. Her shoulder and the arm and back surrounding it still had the same pain they had had when she had been stepped on.

"My left shoulder feels like it's being crushed," Addie managed to reply, her voice quite hoarse.

The med student's eyebrows knitted together in concern before lightly prodding at the shoulder, producing a rather painful sounding whine from the injured woman. He nodded at Courfeyrac who frowned and gave Joly some space, not letting any of the men within about ten feet of the scene. Joly intertwined one hand with the injured woman's left while placing the other on her ribs for support. She winced a bit at the contact, but pushed through the pain knowing that it was for her own good.

"Your shoulder is dislocated and I'm going to have to move it back into the socket. It will hurt quite a bit, but the pain should stop after that. I'm going to count to three. One-," he pulled on her arm until he heard and felt the joint go back into place.

She let out a strangled cry, a few more tears falling. He had been right though, the pain that that injury had caused had all but subsided. All that was left was a slight ache and soreness throughout the limb. Addie soon realised that her shoulder had been the cause of most of her pain because what was left was only the aching soreness and bruising on her back. She glanced over to see Courfeyrac staring worriedly at her, along with all but two of the men who stayed in the corner. Addie sat up with a little difficulty and aid, and smiled at Joly.

"Merci, monsieur, thank you so much. You were right, the pain is barely there," she thanked the ginger, deciding to exclude mentioning the bruising as she felt there wasn't much he could do about it anyway. She swung her legs over the side of the bench and carefully stood, testing her balance. Addie cautiously took a few steps with Joly right beside her before mentally confirming that her ability to walk had been restored.

This ability would come in handy in the next few moments, as she soon found out. Her eyes skimmed the group of men before locking with an unnervingly familiar pair of hazel. His brown hair did nothing to hide his freckles, and the resemblance between the two of them was remarkable to not have been spotted before.

Could it really be? Was Marius really gazing into the soft eyes of his little sister, or was his mind just playing tricks on him again? He missed her desperately and thought about her every day. The two Pontmercy siblings hadn't seen each other in over a month, but surely Addie knew better than to wander the streets! Even if she had tried to leave, their grandfather would have stopped her, wouldn't he have?

All of these thoughts scrambled through the older brother's head as he carelessly pushed his friends aside to get to his sister. Addie however was having none of it. She wasn't supposed to be out of the house, and she didn't know what Marius would think of her now that they finally were seeing each other, but on these terms. Would he hate her? She hadn't seen him in a long while, and the first time they had found each other again was from Addie getting beaten in an alley? This was all just happening so fast. She took a step back and pivoted on her heels, preparing to run yet again.

Although before she could take more than a step, she crashed into another figure. She frantically flailed her arms and fell backward, toward the ground. A pair of unfamiliar hands gently but securely wrapped around her waist before she could fall any farther, and helped her back to her balance. She warily gazed up, anxiety and thoughts of Marius clouding her mind until everything dissipated. She felt as though her thoughts were visible through her eyes, windows and reflections to the bluest blue she had ever seen.


	3. Les Amis de l'ABC

Chapter Three  


"Addie? Adeline?!" the concerned voice jerked the girl from her trance-like state and back to the present.

It was her, he could see that clearly now. Adeline had been the young woman Courfeyrac had found being beaten in the street? A look of pure grief and horror crossed over the brother's face, hidden only when he pulled her into a lung-crushing embrace. Addie winced against the pressure, but hugged him back nonetheless. Moments ago she had been worried Marius would hate her. Now she only felt relief and security, something that she hadn't realized she'd been missing ever since he had left.

The two stayed like that for a few minutes, both trying to take in the whole of the situation and what it all meant. Adeline thought that surely Marius would take her back home where she was safe from harm and the outside world. She'd heard that lecture enough to know the gist of it. Marius was ashamed to look at his little sister, what did she think of him now? He had been disowned and distanced from the family, something Addie had never deserved to be a part of. It didn't matter anymore though. They were together, reunited in one-another's arms.

"What are you doing here?" he was the first to speak, lifting his head and leading the conversation as he always did. The joy of seeing Addie again had produced a vast amount of questions, but his worry was still at the top of the list. "You know you aren't allowed to be out in the city. What will Grandfath-" he was cut off by her smaller voice.

"Please, just don't start Marius. My whereabouts are unknown to all but you and your little group of friends, and honestly Grandfather isn't going to be home long enough to notice my absence," she announced, no evident hostility in her voice but still that ever-present warning.

The sad part was that it was true, with business, politics, and everything else the Pontmercy elder was involved with, he was barely home at all. Addie was just left there with her books and some writing utensils. Not that she complained, she knew that she was far luckier than many of the children and even adults who occupied Paris. Still, at least they got to see the world.

Marius only sighed, not giving in to defeat, but not in the mood to shatter the enjoyable atmosphere. He would push more later, now was time to attend to the bewildered gazes plastered on the couple siblings. Now meaning after another minute of fussing over whether or not Addie was hurt of commotion had caused the group of men to gather closer, this time Courfeyrac joining them rather than holding them off. Did Marius have a girlfriend? He wasn't known to be in relationships, and the brewing rebellion was his only real focus at the moment. No, surely no romance between those two.

Family? Marius had never mentioned any siblings either. They had heard about his grandfather; though bringing him up was a touchy subject seeing that Marius was the rich young boy standing amongst the freedom starved beggars and peasants. He hadn't mentioned parents either though, and having not asked they all assumed that it had been just him. The reference to the grandfather was evidence enough that they were related, looks the thing necessary for confirmation after that.

"My friends, this is my little sister Adeline. Addie, meet Les Amis de l'ABC."

He went through the group pointing and giving names for Addie to assign to faces. She knew Courfeyrac, the friendly and courageous blonde and Joly, the professional yet still soft and cheerful ginger med student. Next came Combeferre a fellow possessing a dirty blonde mop of hair and a wise-beyond-age personality, much like the one Addie herself had come to develop over a course of time. Then was Grantaire, sea blue eyes judgingly peering through long black curls. He was an obvious drunk, bottle in hand and posture obscured, a man without a care in the world; not in a good way. Feuilly and Bahorel looked similar, but acted like polar opposites. Feuilly was shy and humble, Bahorel loud and somewhat obnoxious. They both had neat dark brown hair similar to hers and Marius's and matching brown eyes. The eyes were the one strange thing that Adeline and Marius did not have in common. His were an enchantingly wooden hazel while hers were a deep chocolate brown. Lesgles and Jehan stuck out to her the most, the former unfortunately due to his lack of hair. Lesgles wasn't bald, but he wore a hat to hide his rapidly thinning blonde curls. She felt bad for him, he looked too young to have to lose his locks. Jehan stood out for a different reason though. The way he placed a kiss on the back of her hand in greeting showed that he was a true romantic, and he just gave off the feeling of creativity and inspiration. An artist, another trait which Addie shared.

She went through the group of them, each taking turns for exchanging greetings and slight bows out of politeness. Finally Marius led his sister back to the bench she had started at, though it was now occupied by another of the group. This was the one that had caught her when she had fallen, the one with the bright blue eyes that were almost unnatural. This was the one who had wordlessly backed away when Marius had first reached his sister, forgotten in the midst of reunion and conversation. Yet here he sat, a pensive look fitting his face with the comfort of familiarity. His golden curls shifted as he looked up, nodding in greeting at the approaching two.

"I see you've met the lot of us," he acknowledged lightly.

His voice, Addie thought, was one of a leader. The voice of determination and ambition, the voice of the people if they were ever in need. He slowly stood, bowing slightly before introducing himself, something Marius had expected judging by the look on his face.

"My name is Enjolras. I trust no one here's given you any trouble?" Yeah, he had to be the leader here, even if it was a self-appointed position.

She curtsied in response, a simple gesture out of habit. "Adeline Pontmercy, and no one has been anything but inviting."

Marius stood there beside Addie, arm comfortably wrapped around her shoulder. It was a bit of an inside joke between the two, as Marius would have always teased Addie about her height of barely 5'0 tall. According to him, she was "perfect arm height". She wasn't quite sure what that meant, and honestly neither did he, but no one really cared. Now her brother was silently observing his sister and his best friend. He knew that Enjolras and Addie would get along, they were just so similar and passionate about things. When Adeline wanted something, she fought through the obstacles until she got it. Enjolras wanted France to be free, and he was in the process of planning a rebellion against the government. He too wouldn't stop until the freedom was his.

Did he want Addie to be exposed to these ideas? They were talking about war, the bloodshed of the innocents and the stories from the grave. No his sister would have no part in it, he would make sure of that. It wasn't going to happen anyway, there was no way Adeline could stay with them. He would take her back home and neither of them would speak of any of this. Everything would go back to the way things had been. It was for the best, and keeping Addie safe was all that mattered. But still, could he just leave his little sister all alone with their grandfather, locked up in a fancy house until she became no more than a shell of her past self? The idea was sickening, but there wasn't really an alternative, was there?


	4. The Voice of Rebellion

**Author's Note:  
Hello everyone! I'm Kitkatlaugh if you don't know me already and I've decided to put up little notes of clarification or helpful information when I think that they're needed.**** Anyway, if you haven't been able to tell I tend to incorporate a ton of platonic/family love in my stories (main examples being here with Addie and Marius and my Sherlock story "Three Puzzles" with Kate and John. I do want to know what you all think of this as I have gotten comments regarding the topic, but they were neither positive nor negative. Also, I recently spilled grapefruit juice on my laptop so my only computer access is at the public library. I know, quite a bummer. Ok, last I'm going to say that I'm only human. If I don't post for a week or so I _am _sorry, but there's not much I can do about that. I try to update as often as I can, but sometimes my muse just runs dry. Want to help this cause? Review! Give me feedback, suggestions, ideas, and even constructive criticism. Let me know what you like and what you don't so that I can please you all more in the future. Sorry for the huge note, and I hope this chapter kind of makes up for it.  
**

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Chapter Four

This had been what Addie had been looking for when she left home. Friendly and unique people, to see the crumbling stone and the rainbow of conversations, to find a passion and a purpose. She had found freedom, even if it was only temporary. Still, it was unlike anything else she had experienced. She could talk with whomever she pleased without worrying about speaking out of turn or carelessly tossing about what could have been taken as an insult. Her grandfather wasn't there to micromanage the life she was leading, and she could for once be herself. Addie could let her words spill freely and her emotions flood through the surrounding area and into those around her, the build-up of self-expression a bit overwhelming.

She hadn't realized she could talk so much. It hadn't been possible to laugh with strangers or just stare in awe of the scene playing out before you at her home. Now she was free to do all of these things. She would sit aside with Jehan, who had turned out to be quite a poet, and help him with suggestions and muse. Since she had been replacing conversation with books for most of her life, her writing wasn't half bad. Addie could joke around with Courfeyrac and have hour long discussions regarding life in general with Combeferre. Throughout the rest of that day she stayed with the group of boys, getting to know each one individually and living in the moment. She was outside. She was in the real world. Although she came to understand the harshness and cruelty of life from the boys' stories, she was also truly happy and alive for one of the first times in her life.

The sun was heading to bed, a lavender shadow slowly creeping from stone to stone until it engulfed their little spot. The stone bench on which she sat was cool, now in a comforting way rather than a fearful one. Marius sat beside her, his left shoulder supporting her exhausted figure. The men sat around and Enjolras began the talk of rebellion as Addie's eyes drifted shut and her consciousness slowly evaporated. The group had refrained from mentioning the revolution while around the Pontmercy sister for multiple reasons. Marius hadn't told them that he didn't want her involved, but his face did most of the talking for him. His face said that bringing it up would cause nothing but trouble, and that was definitely not what any of them needed. It wasn't at all that they didn't like her, in fact even Grantaire had grown a bit of fondness over the course of the day. What they were planning just wasn't fit for a woman though. It was dangerous and risky, something none of them wanted Addie involved in. They didn't want her getting hurt, but that wasn't all. With her experience in the world limited to probably only a few days throughout all eighteen of her years, she was simply naive.

The leader thought differently though. He had heard her stories and the way she spoke, seen the gleam in her eyes and the overwhelming desire for something more. Adeline was a passionate girl, giving and wanting and getting her way. If she was to side with them, the advantages would likely be continuous. She had a voice that would be heard, one that the people would listen to. Paris could see that in order to gain their freedom, they all would have to lend hands. Women and children could do their share as much as men could. Adeline Pontmercy could be what he had been waiting for, a sign of hope. The way she thought was all too familiar, and he couldn't help but feel that Marius had made quite an influence on her over the years they had grown up together. The others liked her as well, and that was never a bad thing.

Marius would be the only problem. He would want Addie to be safe and at home, unknowing and with nothing to fear. It was a reasonable request, he wanted to keep his little sister safe and let her live her life as a child while she could. She wasn't a child though, Addie was eighteen years old and her brother had to start viewing her as what she was, a young woman. It seemed her mind had a few extra years on it as well seeing how intelligent and intuitive she was. She had the right to make her own choices and possess her own voice, no longer an echo of others'. However, for the sake of his right-hand man he may have to sacrifice the idea of Addie joining them. Enjolras wouldn't go against Marius like that without a solid steel reason. As much as he loved his country, he wouldn't be able to fight for it without support.

With his sister asleep on his shoulder, Marius began to think more on what he would do with her. He didn't want to face his grandfather, however selfish that may be. Terrible conversation would arise and the blame of Adeline's little adventure would inevitably fall on him. It would be better if she arrived home alone and in the daylight. What would he do with her until then though? The night was getting late and soon Les Amis would part their separate ways. Since he had been kicked out of his home, he had been living in a small space with Enjolras.

Honestly he would have rather been with Courfeyrac or Combeferre so that he didn't have to hear the nonstop patriotic blabber that came with occupying the same space as Patria's personal lover. He didn't have much of choice though. Enjolras was the only one of the group who knew of Marius's roots and the money and status connected to them. The elder Pontmercy believed that the information would degrade the others' opinions of him, although Enjolras couldn't stress enough that it would make no difference as they were all fighting for the same cause. The leader respected his wishes and mentioned nothing of relation to the subject, much to the satisfaction of his roommate.

With him, Marius had brought a chest of clothing and necessary belongings with surprisingly little money. He stated that he hadn't earned it and he didn't deserve it, so therefore it wasn't rightfully his. He had been smart enough to bring an amount that would last him a while though, so that was good. He really didn't need to go asking his grandfather for help any time soon. He had a bed and spare mattress too, so he supposed Addie could stay there, but just for the night. In the morning he would lead her back home and reluctantly depart, not knowing how long it would be until they met again. He would make sure that Addie didn't give him trouble and that she was safe, but there wasn't much more than that for him to do. He'd have to leave her all alone with their grandfather, confined to a house until her future had been planned out step by step. That wasn't his fault though, it was just the way things were.

Marius carefully scooped Adeline into his arms, careful not to wake her before approaching calling out to Enjolras. He turned from his place next to Feuilly, eyebrows raised curiously and with a hint of fun. It was nice to see a change from his regular strung-up and restless behaviour. He seemed more relaxed, enjoying the passing time with his friends.

"Can she stay at our place for the night, until I take her home tomorrow?" he asked in a mix between a shout and a whisper, not wanting to be startle Addie but also wanting the leader to hear him from the distance away that he was.

A smile flashed over his face, emphasizing the little creases around his eyes that he had from being so expressive all the time. He nodded with no argument to Marius's suggestion and turned back to the fan-maker to resume his conversation. After quick goodbyes and promises to meet up again tomorrow, the two siblings started through the darkness and towards a small but sturdy building in the city.


	5. A Conflict of Interest

**Author's Note: Hi again guys! I'll just keep it short this time. First off, I don't know if I should be apologizing for the long chapter, but here it is anyway? Secondly, _please_ R&R! It's for your own good! Reviews are the only encouragement I get, so if you want more, ask for it. Heck, if you want ANYTHING, ask for it! I can't guarantee I'll give it to you, but asking never hurts! Sorry I haven't posted in awhile and I hope you like it! (Psst, tell your friends about this so that I can get over 10 reviews like normal people instead of just 4!)**

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Chapter Five

She opened her eyes to a dimly lit room, the smell of musty books wafting through the air and each particle of dust made visible by the rays of early morning sun. She turned away from the peeling wall and scanned the surroundings for any hint to where exactly she was. The image of a woolen blanket thrown over Marius's familiar figure brought the sights and sounds of the previous day back to Adeline's memory. She was outside her home, in the city. She had met new people and made real friends. The reality was still a bit hazy though. So none of it had been a dream? It appeared not.

Addie lifted her own blanket off and yawned lightly, shaking her head as if to rid herself of whatever sleep-related thoughts were left. She experimentally placed her bare feet on the wood floor and slightly cringed when the boards let out a sharp creak. Marius only grunted and turned over. somehow managing to get even more tangled in blanket. Addie gnawed at her lip to stifle a giggle and made her way past the spare mattress and over to the middle of the room where she wouldn't have to worry about tripping over her brother. Now that she could properly look, she saw that the room wasn't very well-put-together and a bit cramping, but cozy in its own little way and definitely tidy. A small stove and some cupboards sat in one corner with a chest occupying the adjacent. The other two corners were filled by the bed she had slept in and a doorway.

Curiously, Addie crept over to the doorway and poked her head through the entrance. There was a small hall with one other door and a staircase leading down to the street. Her dress, previously light blue now darker with dust and dirt, swung around her legs aggressively and she wondered how she had actually managed to move around in it at all before. The young woman approached the second door, trying desperately to not make much noise. It didn't really work. Addie made a mental note to not wear something so nice and loud if she came back. That also brought about the point of getting home and if/when she would ever come back here. It wasn't that she didn't want to, she loved it here! Everyone was so kind and it was probably what life was supposed to be like. What about Marius though? Would he let her come back? And then there was Grandfather, what would he do if he found out that his perfect granddaughter was roaming the streets with her disowned outcast brother?

She tried not to worry about it and focus on the task at hand, exploring this place. She had inferred that it was where her brother was staying, and she hadn't seen any other inhabitants, so exploring couldn't do any harm, could it? Addie tested the new door and found it unlocked, but a bit stuck, so she pressed her weight into it and it swung open rather violently. The door slammed into the wall with a thud and the younger Pontmercy jumped backward, eyes wide, head tucked into shoulders like a turtle, and mouth agape with shock. She had not meant to make a loud noise. She had not meant to go where she wasn't supposed to go. Most of all, she had not meant to barge into an occupied room without warning. Yes, occupied. The room was almost identical to the one she had woken up in, chest and bed and stove and door all in the same locations. The profound difference was that this bed was occupied by another bundled human, the only visible features being a mop of blonde locks and a bare foot protruding from the blanket mass. Marius had a roommate? Well, it sure looked to be so.

A set of footsteps, not her brother's (though how she knew she couldn't tell), made it's way up the steps to the flat. The figure that accompanied the sound was however familiar. Combeferre, looking a bit more pensive and put-off than yesterday, but that could have just been Addie.

"Addie!" he called out in greeting at the sight of his new friend. Like all the other Amis, Combeferre had had a fantastic time hanging out with Marius's sister yesterday, but unfortunately that was not why he was here.

The sight of a familiar and awake person brought a smile to the woman's face, and she nodded at him greeting rather softly, "Combeferre! How are you this morning?"

It didn't go unnoticed to Addie the fluster he was in, failing to be subtle while wringing his hands and shifting his weight from foot to foot. She wondered what was up with him, but it didn't seem like he wanted to talk about it, at least not with her. She wasn't offended though, after all they had only met yesterday.

"Say, do you know if Enjolras is up yet? I have to talk to him," he announced, deciding to leave off the 'as soon as possible' part.

Adeline raised in eyebrows in brief confusion before realizing that he was talking about the other mass of blankets in the room she had blasted into. Apparently Marius shared a room with Enjolras, not that Addie minded. Something about the leader was just different than the rest of the friends she had met. Maybe it was the way he could trap you in a conversation with only a few words or how he gave off the mysterious impression of just something more. Nevertheless, Addie prefered him to some of the rest of the men she had met. He didn't seem too appalled by her either thankfully. Actually, he didn't seem to show any opinion of her if he was holding one. Stepping aside, she gestured toward Enjolras's room and let the other man pass with little more than a thanks.

He shut the door behind him and Addie could hear the argument and protestation that came with waking someone up. After that, the conversation seemed to get more energetic, but not any louder. The two men kept their voices down as to not be heard, only frustrating Addie more. Why were they being so secretive? It had to be important because of how 'Ferre had been acting, and after a few moments the woman's spirit of inquiry got the better of her. She leaned against the wall and craned her neck toward the door, trying to make out what she could of the conversation. It was more difficult than she had imagined eavesdropping to be, as she could only make out a word every once and awhile. So far she had caught words and pieces like 'time' and 'people', but the only thing that really had any meaning to her was 'Lamarque'.

Lamarque, the man of which Grandfather spoke none too fondly. Lamarque, the voice of the people. Lamarque, the "people's man". But what did he have to do with anything? And why would the two men be talking about him? Addie had no reason to be the least bit suspicious, they could just be conversing over local politics and day-to-day events, but thinking back to Combeferre's attitude and expressions, the girl wasn't convinced. She leaned a bit closer, still wanting for more information and to possibly hear something explanatory.

"Addie?" she heard from an only half-awake voice behind her

She turned to see Marius wiping the remaining sleep from his eyes, eyebrows doing their own crazy dance while trying to express emotions. Confusion? Concern? Disappointment? She was unable to tell what he was feeling, something that didn't occur all too often.

"Good morning, Marius," his sister sang lightly after getting over the initial startling of being caught red-handed.

If he didn't ask, she wouldn't say anything about it; it was as simple as that. Plus he could easily have been too tired to notice anything.

"Morning, Addie," he replied. "Sleep well? I hope you didn't mind that I set you up here for the night, I couldn't exactly take you home with the risks and all."

This was only partly true. Sure, the streets were more dangerous at night than during day, but Marius knew how to defend himself and his sister if it came to that. Had it been necessary, he would have been able to take her back to their grandfather's house, even with the extra weight from carrying her. Truth be told, he hadn't wanted Addie to leave. He hadn't wanted to give her up not knowing when and if he would ever see we again. He hadn't wanted to make her live that boring and proper life, even though he had known that when morning came he would have to.

"I also borrowed some clothes from a friend after I dropped you off here, so you can change if wish," he continued, heading over to the chest in his room.

Addie followed close behind, both eager to get out of her dress and curious as to what Marius had been able to borrow. It turned out to be a rather nice purple belted blouse and a brown skirt shorter than the dress and far easier to walk in. She gratefully accepted the rather nice garments, taking her dress off only after her brother had entered the hall and shut the door. Privacy was something he could easily respect. She practically tore the restraining fabric from her body, desperate for free movement. Once it was in a heap in the floor she glanced down to come to a horrifying realization. She had slept in her corset! For multiple reasons this was awful, the main one being how much of a safety hazard it was. Addie could easily have suffocated in her sleep because of this foolish act. Of course, she wasn't blaming her brother seeing how men didn't have to go through all those troubles of lacing up a garment so that you could barely breathe and the circumference of your waist was that of two hands forming a circle. Yeah, not a pleasant experience. Still, she found it improper to go completely corset-less at the moment and current scenario, so instead she took a moment to just loosen the laces. The difference that it made was amazing and Addie immediately gulped down a lungful of air acknowledging how tight it had actually been. After that it was mostly simple, toss on the top and skirt and secure the belt around her waist. She took a moment to pin a few loose strands of brown back to her head before opening the door so that the room could be accessed once again. To her surprise, Enjolras and Combeferre had joined her brother in the hallway, and they were now all laughing and chatting as if nothing remotely suspicious had ever occurred.

"Well, we're off to meet up with the rest of our friends. Do you want to come? I'm sure they would enjoy your company, as I know I would," Courfeyrac grinned cheekily at his not-so-subtle flirtatious comment.

The responses he got were mixed, Addie with a slight blush, grin, and "Yes, thank you!"; Marius with a look of silent protestation and an unamused warning glare at Courf; and another typically unreadable gaze from Enjolras that none of them even bothered trying to decipher.

With that, the four friends made their way down the stairs and out the front door of the flat, Addie's audible joy of being able to walk freely earning her some odd and questioning stares. It only took about five minutes to make it back to the abandoned clearing, the time made to seem shorter with the conversation between three of the beings. Enjolras was the one several strides ahead of the group, silent with thought on a subject that he was quite unfamiliar with.

The way Adeline spoke, the spirit radiating from her very figure, her constant curiosity and smiles at the smallest of wonders. It was all just fascinating. He tried to convince himself that it was because of her potential with the Revolution, that his interest in her was purely for the sake of the people, but somewhere inside he knew that that wasn't the case. There was something more with Addie, something indescribable and beautiful, but deadly enough to knock everything to the ground. That couldn't happen. Enjolras wouldn't let that happen.


End file.
